Re[2]: frost bitten hosta

It is important to remove any wilted or burned/damaged leaves, down to the
ground. Left to rot, they increase the chance of fungal or mold attack.
One year both the West Coast and East Coast had late frosts, after the
hosta had emerged. Dan and Preston, you may recall it about 7 years ago
here in Delaware. Lots of wilted hostas in the gardens, especially
plantaginea and montana aureo marginata.
Those new hosta folks on the Left Coast didn't know to clean the frosted
leaves and had woeful problems about three weeks later when it warmed up to
75 - major rot problems.
Here on the Right Coast, we cut off the damaged leaves and bleached the
remainder of the plants, with very little permanent damage.
Looking at 20 degrees tonight here in Northern Delaware, after 3 days of
60-65, but nothing has popped yet. Have to stomach Tony Avent speaking at
Del Valley Hosta Society spring meeting tomorrow - will have to eat a good
lunch. bruce
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: frost bitten hosta
Author: hosta-open@mallorn.com (owner-hosta-open@mallorn.com) at HERCULES
Date: 03/17/2000 12:39 PM
Judy McCann wrote:
>
> Please offer some advice of what to do with emerging hosta leaves
that have
> unfolded enough to get "bitten" by spring frost. I have three or
four now,
> and unfortunately probably more this weekend.
> Thanks
> Judy in VA (50 one night, 25 the next......)
Only thing I know to do Judy is to try not to look at them, or cut
them
off when they unfurl completely. If it's the leaf only this won't set the
plant back, but if the complete plant emerges and gets frosted it will kill
to the ground, and then only the remaining axillary/lateral buds will
emerge this season due to the absence of apical dominance removed by the
frost. The plant won't be killed, but it won't be
anywhere near as large. JML
--
MissVitro Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory
John and Laura Lanier
Route 9 Box 908
Burnsville, NC 28714
(828) 682-4174
mailto:jlanier@yancey.main.nc.ushttp://www.gardensights.com/MissVitro/
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